Photos of dead aim to bring new life to cold cases

In this Dec. 30, 2011 photo, Milwaukee County forensic anthropologist Michael Simley poses at his office in Milwaukee while logged onto a website he produced showing the faces of unidentified corpses. Simley says that the pictures can be unsettling, but he wants to do all he can to help give the dead a name. (AP Photo/Dinesh Ramde)
— AP

In this Dec. 30, 2011 photo, Milwaukee County forensic anthropologist Michael Simley poses at his office in Milwaukee while logged onto a website he produced showing the faces of unidentified corpses. Simley says that the pictures can be unsettling, but he wants to do all he can to help give the dead a name. (AP Photo/Dinesh Ramde)
/ AP

MILWAUKEE 
The corpses' faces are mostly bloated, their skin pale and discolored. One man's lips are stiffened into a grim frown and he stares with half-open eyes. Another man appears to be sleeping, his color natural enough that he almost looks alive.

Forensic investigator Michael Simley knows some people will find the photographs unsettling, but he said he decided to post them online for an important reason: the bodies are unidentified. All were found in Wisconsin's most populous area, Milwaukee County, and have been without names for years - decades, in some cases - and Simley said he's desperate to find answers.

"We're not doing these people justice to let them go unidentified. These are family members, friends, people who are missed," Simley said. "Everyone deserves to be recognized as who they were in life. Being buried as a Jane or John Doe doesn't sit well with me."

Investigators nationwide use a variety of tools when asking for the public's help identifying corpses. Many release sketches or 3-D clay models, along with photos of tattoos, clothing or jewelry of the deceased. But a handful are now taking the more extreme step of releasing photographs of faces.

The practice has helped Las Vegas' coroner identify dozens of bodies. Other medical examiners seem hesitant to embrace it but are generally supportive of their colleagues' intentions.

Simley's website has not led to any identifications yet, though it has been active for about a month. It lists the cases of 17 unidentified bodies along with facial pictures of six of the adults and one infant. He said several of the pictures were touched up to remove evidence of decomposition.

Simley said Tuesday he's received only positive feedback so far about the site, which received more activity than normal Tuesday. It gives him renewed hope that some of the people will be identified, he said.

"I am enthusiastic that people are actually going to the site and checking it out," he said. "The endgame here is to get people to look at the website ... and hopefully lead to an identification. If one of these cases gets solved it makes this whole venture worthwhile."

Users must navigate through a series of warnings that advise viewer discretion before the pictures become viewable. Once there, many of the images are disconcerting.

"We did take into consideration the concern about kids viewing them," Simley said. "Even though these pictures are of a graphic nature, the main thing is to get these people identified."

Some medical examiners said they understand Simley's reasoning, but others said the tactic is ill-conceived.

Nici Vance, a forensic anthropologist for the State Medical Examiner's Office in Oregon, said she would never publicly release photographs of the dead. She said sketches are far better, because artists can leave out wounds or other signs of violence and draw the face with eyes and mouth closed.

"A photo could be pretty traumatic for the family to see," she said. "A sketch allows a family to focus on the features rather than see a half-lidded, pale, pasty visualization of their loved one."